So I'm working as the assistant cameraman on a Johnny Cash concert that Rick Rubin put together at the Manhattan Center on 34th street and before the show starts I'm asked to go downstairs and let in the special guest when all of a sudden Matt Dillion shows up. Now, this is the third time Matt and I have had an encounter, and personally I am not thrilled.
"Yo bro, ya got a smoke?" he asks me.
"Yeah, sure Matt." I responded as I did when Deborah Harry was shooting a video in an East Village club called "The World." During that video back in the 80's, I was the only specatator just hanging out watching Blondie do her thing when Matt walked in and sure enough within two-minutes Matt walked up and approached me and said "Yo, bro... ya got an extra smoke?"
"Yeah, sure Matt."
I wanted to say, don't you remember me? Don't you realize I'm the same guy who hung out and gave you cancer-sticks at the Madison Square Garden?
See, the first time, when my best friend and I were sitting ringside at the Garden during a Golden Gloves boxing competition and who walks in and sits directly behind us but Matt Dillion. New York City was pretty cool in the 1980's, you could still smoke a cigarette at MSG and there was still plenty of 'eye-candy" on 11th Avenue aka Hooker Highway by the Lincoln Tunnel. Times however have changed.
Had it not been for Matt's friend sitting next to him, the guitarist of Ian Dury and The Blockheads — sorry, I can't remember his name — my friend, Mitch and I would have never hung out with such celebrities afterwards at a bar called McGlade's on the upper Eastside and Matt would have not, as it seems, started to follow me around.
What really pissed me off about the three incidents with our Rumble Fish star was what happened after the Johnny Cash show when I was alone in the dressing room with just June Carter, Johnny Cash, the cameraman and myself. June and Johnny thanked me and shook both gave me a hug and shook my hand and as I was about to ask the camerman to take a photo of me and the legend a knock came upon the dressing room door and some production assistant said Matt Dillion would like to say 'hello to Johnny" — did he really? — or was he just looking for bum another fucking cigarette from me.

Matt — you owe me a pack... at least ! I was furious. I missed my photo oportunity with the Man In Black and his lovely wife.

I do althought have plenty of random pictures from that night, some of which I have posted on my Myspace page. Not the one I wanted however, nor is the picture posted above from the days I worked with him — by then he was old and gray... but still a gentleman.

Anyway, during the Youtube video of "Tennessee Stud" you can see me — a skinny little kid from Jersey manning the door — before Matt walks in ruined my chance for the great picture and in another video when Johnny is getting into a limo, there I am with Matt standing out on 34th street having a cigarette.

Yesterday, I gave up smoking.